Main menu

Post navigation

Compilation: Citrus City, Vol. 1

Yesterday was a good day. I serendipitously stumbled upon this compilation yesterday (along with a TON of other really great new and newish tracks) and it’s been one of those time when I’m amazed at how much great stuff people are putting out there completely under the radar.

Citrus City Records and their compilation is giving me serious flashbacks. My life as a music listener has been dotted with that intense and weird shame/excitement combo that comes with a fantastic comp full of unknowns. “Who the hell are all these amazing artists and why haven’t I heard of them before? I’ve got work to do — things to binge listen to.”

In 17 tracks from 17 artists, there’s hardly a misstep. Even the production is impeccable, and that says something for a comp that features some heavy hitting electronics, some pure guitar pop, some basslines to dance to, and some soundscapes to render you catatonically relaxed. The sound of the record varies a bit from track to track — there’s at least one scrappy garage-y tune, and even one coldwave throwback — but overall, it occupies a shifting spot in a cloud of reverb and haze. My standout tracks are Santa Fe‘s beach bum anthem “Daydream,” Midriffs‘ scorching “Taboo Tattoo,” and the chugging distortion of Plum‘s “Pavement,” but seriously, the whole thing is worth a look.

You can pick up a name-your-price download of Citrus City, Vol. 1 right now, or pre-order the pink cassette version from the label’s Bandcamp. In the meantime, it’s all available to stream below for your mid-February escapism needs.